In the
time Shah Ismail, Safavid Dynasty ascended to power in
Iran. Yazdís government was assigned to Morad Beik
Bayandori. At that time, more than forty independent and
semi-independent rulers were governing different parts of
Iran. Shah Ismail quelled the rebellions and put down the
claims of all his contenders and occupied Yazd. But his
extremist ways, religious bigotry and absolutely
unjustified massacres inflicted heavy damage and loss on
Iran, and Yazd in particular. An example of such senseless
killings was the murder of Ghazi Mir Hussein Meibodi, who
actually had no peer among the scholars of his time. He
was burned to death during Shah Ismailís time only on
charges of being Sunni.

Under
Safavid Kings rule, Iranís trade witnessed a period of
expansion and gained a lot of momentum. Iranian silk and
textile, in particular, became quite known in European
markets and a great number of foreign businessmen traveled
to Iran at the time.

European
businessmen, on the one hand, and Iranian tradesmen, on
the other, were traveling to and from Yazd, via land
routes connecting Isfahan and Delhi. Because of the
quality of its silk and textiles, as well as its being
located on the route between Iran and India, Yazd
developed and gained a lot of importance.

When
Afghan invaded Iran, with the decline of the Safavid
Dynasty, Mahmoud Afghan failed to occupy Yazd and later it
was only by restoring to deceptive tactics that Ashraf (Mahmoudís
successor) could conquer this region. Later on, appointed
by Nader Shah of Afshar Dynasty, Momen Khan ruled Yazd.
Mohammad Taqi Khan and his sons were the next rulers of
Yazd, who governed the city until the end of Qajar era.

The
dynasty rendered valuable services to the city and erected
numerous buildings in Yazd. DowlatabadGarden and Naserieh Garden, Khan School and Bazaar,
and Qeisarieh Bazaar are all vestiges of that era.